Mortlach 75 Years Old
Gordon & MacPhail Generations
On 17th November 1939, John Urquhart, the first generation of the family to be involved in Gordon & MacPhail, instructed the first-fill Sherry cask to be filled with new-make spirit from Speyside’s Mortlach Distillery. Seventy-five years later, the cask was emptied and the precious amber liquid was carefully transferred into beautiful crystal decanters. With notes of dried apricots and pomegranate, followed by hints of spice and creamy vanilla, the latest release to the luxury Generations range has a smooth and lingering smoky finish which remains long after the dram has been savoured. Generations Mortlach 75 Years Old by Gordon & MacPhail is presented in the iconic teardrop-shaped Generations decanter. Each decanter is uniquely numbered and skilfully handcrafted with 75 multi-level “cuts”; each cut representing a year of the whisky’s maturation. The decanter sits on a white presentation plinth with two specially designed crystal glasses. The decanter is packaged in a luxury Aniline leather travel bag and accompanied by a specially commissioned book, Seven Nights with Mortlach. Acclaimed whisky writer, Charles Maclean and international bestselling author, Alexander McCall Smith have joined forces to tell tales of Scotland, whisky and the people behind this special malt, accompanied by illustrations from up and coming Scottish artists. Mortlach 75 Years Old by Gordon & MacPhail was matured in a first-fill Sherry butt cask. Only 100 decanters, bottled at cask strength (44.4% ABV), have been released for worldwide sale.
Minor marks to transit box
Fondly referred to as the Beast of Dufftown, Mortlach dates back to 1823 when it was founded by James Findlater. Like so many other owners of the period, he didn’t last too long and a variety of new owners came and went. The distillery was held back by periods of inaction and for a period in the 1850s was a brewery and a church. It was the arrival of the Cowie family that guided Mortlach into what we know it today, John Walker & Sons snapped it up in the 1920s before they were acquired by DCL. And it has remained with Diageo since. The distillery is mostly known for its work with sherry casks and huge potential to be matured excessively with its savoury characteristics. Like Springbank, its complex distillation is unique and is part of its legacy. An assortment of stills and processes mean it is distilled 2.81 times. For much of its life, outside of support from Gordon & MacPhail, the distillery had a cult-like status. Diageo has tried in recent years to raise its single malt profile with various launches to mixed success.
